Chapter 23 eleven

The short-distance bus on Dianyue Road is suitable for sitting when the mood is free, and it is also suitable for riding when the mood is tired.This is not to say that the rhythmic sound made by the red car with thick wood and the hard black steel frame when it is walking can remind people of many familiar tunes and pass the time. Smile and don't tidy up.Or the simple and overlapping sound of rattling makes people rest, and it is easy to fall asleep with it.It's the bamboo baskets and wooden boxes of all kinds, those carried out of the pedals by poles, those tied to the window frames by ropes, and the border area ethnic men and women of various colors and different costumes, and how many different kinds of bamboo smoke they have. All tubes are pleasing to the eye.If he is a caring person, he will be able to hear many different languages.If he has leisure, he has enough to attend to.These people are busy again.In the morning they brought vegetables to the city, fruits, eggs, tofu, and flowers.In the afternoon, I talked about a day's life in the city, the market prices of the vegetable market and the flower market, and exchanged the experience of police interference, hooligans, and blackmail to collect money.They said it with a smile, because most of them are so simple and docile, not to mention that these are common things every day, and now it is time to go home after a hard day's work?They happily showed each other what they bought in Kunming that day, maybe some incense sticks, paper horses, a few packets of sugar snacks, some horses and so on, and occasionally some people bought some clothing materials, even coarse cloth. , It was enough to startle all the people sitting next to him.It's cutting new clothes!What a big deal it is to add a new dress this year!So under those eyes of admiration and envy, the honest countryman lowered his smiling head in embarrassment.If someone is more enthusiastic, take this piece of cloth, look at it carefully, and shake it, and the new starched cloth will rustle, and get into everyone's ears.When everyone praises that the deal is done well and the price is good, the buyer will be even more embarrassed, and will take back his cloth shyly, saying: "Everything has gone up. Which one can't be helped, there is nothing to do." I go to buy cloth after the clothes are worn.” When everyone saw him put away the cloth, they would talk about the hardships of life and start smoking dry pipes, water pipes, and rolling cigarettes more vigorously.A weary traveler will be silently touched by these hard-working good countrymen, and feel that there is no pleasure in life without toil, and there is no rest without fatigue.Looking at these traders and farmers who have been busy all day, I feel that there is no life that cannot be lived.He will suddenly be self-sufficient, and then become happier and more energetic.A tired state of mind is hard to get rid of by happy and exciting encounters, but it can be rested in a quiet, serene, contented, and ordinary atmosphere.This kind of comfortable traveling companion for villagers is only available in short-distance vehicles, such as Chenggong vehicles, Kebao village vehicles, and Yiliang vehicles.No matter how far away it is like A Miche, it will be less.First, because the travel time of the long-distance train is not suitable, it is an express train and does not stop at small stops.Second, taking such a long drive, it is not worthwhile to go to Kunming to sell some tofu and vegetables.Short rides are their world.It is the famous green vegetable cart that goes into the city at dawn in the morning. The vegetable vendors pick the vegetables on the cart the night before and spend the night. You can hang empty baskets everywhere on the cart when you go back at night, so you don’t have to worry about chicken manure or straw ropes. Will spoil the new clothes of some well-dressed traveler.

The students like to hang out with them, buy a bag of peanuts, peel and eat them, and exchange conversations that everyone thinks is new.After seeing the adobe houses under the shade of big trees in the village by the road, I would even think of visiting there.Lin Yanmei and the others got on the last Yiliang bus in the afternoon.Yiliang cars are called Mingliang cars by the villagers.This car is often hung very long. It has to bear the transportation to the Mingliang Coal Mine in the city, and it walks very slowly, and it takes a lot of effort to go up the hill. The other two good companions of the villagers on the short-distance bus are idle soldiers. They are also from the peasant family, just like brothers wearing different clothes.As a soldier, his temperament seems to be much more bold and unrestrained.Sitting together can often hear loud laughter, and what an arrogant talk they are talking about!

Apart from soldiers, there are missionaries.They have the neatest clothes and the most smiles on their faces.Yunnan is the mission area of ​​the French Catholic Church. The clothes of the Catholic priests are black and white, mixed with the passengers in the gray-blue homespun, they are like old crows in the silver-gray clouds in the clear sky, or like egrets in the blue sky. So obvious. There was a priestess in the car that day.She was very handsome, and her manners were more serene.The pure black Taoist robe with a little bit of brilliance covered her slender and moderate body, and the white and shiny collar on her chest reflected her healthy, rosy and elegant face.She was still very young; her bright, dark eyes smiled kindly under the black and white monk hat.The part of the hat draped from time to time brushed the hair of a middle-aged lady beside her, and they were talking.The lady had a pair of children in front of her, both about five years old.The girl seemed to be older, and she was playing with a vegetable seller, and she was learning to peel green beans and rice, which were leftovers, and she happened to peel them for dinner at home.The boy knelt on the stool and looked out the window to watch the planes taking off and landing at Wujiaba, and the buffaloes in the fields.

"That's why I say things are sometimes too coincidental, and sometimes too unfortunate." The female monk said in a concluding tone. "Father Li will go to India at that time, and my sister and brother-in-law will go to the United States. At the same time, among the many passengers, they will be on the same plane, and they will sit next to each other, and then they will start talking. I have never been here since the European War. After I came back from France, the news from my family was long gone. My sister and I have been in Yunnan for two or three years at the same time, so we don’t know each other. Well, now they have news of me from Father Li and wrote a letter Come on, now I’m in a foreign country again. It’s rare for me to come to Kunming, this time I came to the city to see their daughter in Lian Da, but I didn’t meet her.”

"You are upset because you didn't find her. Since you are all in Yunnan, and the distance is not too far, you will definitely see her in the future." When the lady said this, the monk nodded. "Just one thing, I want to ask, why does your niece like you so much? I haven't seen you in six or seven years, so I miss you so much? I can't let it go, I can't let it go. As soon as I get news, I will work for you from Yiliang. Last time?" "She's a pain," said the nun.When she saw that the car had already left, the lady liked to listen to a conversation she had just had while waiting for the car, and she started talking leisurely as if she were telling a story.

"This is my sister's first daughter, born in the first year of marriage. I was still young at that time, and I was still studying in junior high school. Now I know that they have another boy. This boy is so happy to have such a good sister. Well, he must have learned a good disposition from his sister. I was talking to myself, and then I turned to her and praised her." The lady laughed too. "She is different, she is outstanding." The nun looked at the distance outside the car window, and said in a deep voice, hearing such praise words from such an angelic nun, No one can't help thinking of some extremely beautiful visions following her voice.

She was in a daze for a while, then with a shy expression, she withdrew her gaze from afar, looked at the lady, smiled charmingly, and said: "There are such painful children in the family, not only myself Parents like it. Every time the visiting guests come, they would like her to come out, ask her a few words, and give her one or two small things that can make her happy. Because seeing that she likes the guests, the guests like it even more. " "We were both in Peiping at that time, and we lived so close together that I almost always grew up in her house. This child is sometimes closer to me than my sister. She loves to be coquettish in my arms, and she will use her small face to tease her." Wipe my ears, even touch my cheeks with eyelashes. I love her from the bottom of my heart, love her, I have unspeakable happiness."

As she said that, she looked at the little girl who was squatting on the ground and helped the peasant woman peel green beans and rice. Her mother followed the loving eyes and looked at her daughter.She wondered how the nun, with such a soft and amiable temperament, could become a nun when she happened to be traveling. "I often think that this little girl is a star that landed in my sister's house, a shining star that caught the eyes of all of us. She is so smooth and beautiful that she is hardly human. "When she was six or seven years old, we felt the enviable and loving atmosphere in this family. Rather than saying that my sister and brother-in-law are well educated and have a good temperament, it is better to say that it is the daughter's beautiful nature. .

"She can understand the sorrows and joys of others, and she can make people happier when they are happy, comfort them when the air is dull, make them laugh again, and feel God's mercy again. "Her soft mouth, so light, so sweet, she called: 'Mom.', and when she called 'Auntie.', we would put aside any worries. Seeing her dark, big eyes are also speculating When we are thinking, no one can bear to think of any unpleasant thoughts anymore. "She was born to be pampered. Because we pampered her and obeyed her together, but she didn't get any bad temper from being pampered. In the area where we live in Peiping, no matter what the situation is, they can behave comfortably. With her as a little guest, she can make everyone feel that they are their own family. These cannot be taught or learned.

"I remember that she was admitted to the kindergarten of a missionary school nearby. We didn't send her there, but she was asked to go by the kindergarten teacher. At first, she was dropped off every day and picked up by others. Later, because it was too close, even a street away It doesn't matter, she just walks back and forth by herself. We love to see her come back from school, running so that her fine hair is flying, and even the little schoolbag and people get into the mother's arms. "One day, we were so afraid that we would come back after she was out of school. In order to remember that she would cry if she didn't see anyone when she came home from school, we rushed home together. I still seem to see that time. It was spring at that time. , the flower branches in the yard stick out of the wall, and the flower shadows are clearly printed on the wall. In front of the vermilion gate, I saw her lying on the outside and crying. I was shaking because I cried so much. I was so distressed that I hurried to hug her from behind, and she quickly bent down to pick up the windmill in her hand. It turned out that she did a good job with the windmill and won an award, so she was busy running I came home to tell you, but we all went out. The servant was watering the flowers in the yard and closed the door. She was too small to reach the door knocker, so she had to slap the door vigorously with her small hands. If the hand slapped red, she couldn’t hear it from inside. She stretched out her little hand, and my mother blew it to her, and her voice became hoarse. We never asked her to be left out for a minute, so she was going to be sad after shutting the door. My brother-in-law found her the next day. A carpenter put a special little knocker under the door, just one. A ridiculous animal head and a little ring, a small brass one, just for her. In fact, she never used it again. , we never stopped waiting for her at home. Later, when she was older, she sometimes went to the door to play, and tied her dog with the little door knocker."

Hearing this, the lady was also fascinated.The two children also let go of their respective ways of playing, and leaned over to listen.When the boy came close to his mother, the nun took the girl into her arms.She said: "There is one more thing about this little girl when you were your age, and it hurts to talk about it. They had a kiss meeting in kindergarten. There was a song by her, and she kept it from none of us beforehand." Yes, it’s her own lyrics. My husband changed it a little and made it to the score. She squatted on the stage, imitating the chick’s appearance, and sang with her little hands like this: ' There is an egg the size of Hatch a chick this big put him back in the egg can't fit anymore I can't fit it any more' Everyone died laughing before the song was over.After she finished singing, she ran to her mother, but was hugged and kissed by a friend's wife on the way.I think who in the audience would not want to kiss this lovely child! " When she said this, she kissed the little girl in her arms, and the two children clapped their hands happily. One asked, "What's her name?" and the other asked, "How old is she?" I was very happy, and felt that this female monk was just as cute as the little girl she was talking about. "Her name is also wonderful," she went on, "I made it up myself. She was going to school, we hugged her, asked her what name she likes to have, and it's good for children in kindergarten. She couldn't tell. We I asked her what she liked. At that time, the swallows on the beam were flying back, and she said, "I like swallows." My brother-in-law said, "'That's right. ''What else do you like? ' my sister asked.She said: 'Little swallow. ' Made us laugh out loud.My sister said: "It can't be helped, she loves all small things, and she just loves the word "small". ' We thought: 'Xiaoyan' is too vulgar.Just ask her what flowers she likes.She said: 'Plum blossom. 'Actually, this is wrong.She likes roses, but she always omits a word and becomes 'plum blossom'.We also called her after her: 'Yanmei', commemorating the name she gave herself when she was young. " The two children didn't wait for others to finish talking, and wanted to interrupt again.The mother covered their mouths, and asked herself: "Really, don't ask what the child's last name is. Miss, we don't know your last name yet!" She said with a smile: "Our surname is Bai, and we only got it after the war. Those who come to Yunnan live in Taoyuan New Village, a place not far from Chenggong. Please come down to play when you come again. You are so kind and willing to be close to people! Are you leaving alone?". The nun also smiled and said: "Thank you, my surname is Yang. We nuns don't go out alone. So you see us in pairs on the street. There is also a French nun who can speak Chinese well. Well, it would be very interesting if she was here. Before you got into the car, she went to another car to chat with some church members in Yiliang." The lady hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, I took her seat!" "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, you just sit down. She probably won't come back, and she can talk very well. We probably only meet when we get off the car. Leave her alone, let's talk about us. Where did I say it?" She smiled and looked Two children: "Oh, what's her last name, isn't it? Her name is Lin. She is not a child now. Let me do the math, she is twelve years younger than me, and she is nineteen now !" As he said that, he couldn't help thinking about it, what she looked like when we parted four or five years ago, let alone how she looks now. "Later when she entered elementary school, it was the same as before. None of the teachers and classmates didn't like her. Boys love to fight. Yanmei forbids them to fight, so they don't fight. But in order to fight to play with Yanmei, they fight even harder. They have such a way of playing. Push Yanmei to sit on a small chair, and two boys fight in front, sometimes it is real, sometimes it is fake, although the fight is always real. They were not allowed to play with Yanmei for half a day. But after a long time, Yanmei objected to this game. Instead, she played with defeated ones more, so everyone pretended to be defeated. Later, even those who would not even touch them lay on the ground Pretending to be knocked down! What naughty children! When I went to school, I often saw them rolling around smiling and calling Yanmei to pull them up, saying that they were knocked down and injured. Yanmei was so angry like. "It seems that they can't play without Yanmei in their game. Sometimes girls like to divide into groups and play with anger, so any group wants to invite Yanmei to join, but Yanmei can't bet with anyone. Get angry. When everyone plays with He Qi, they all listen to her. In fact, she doesn’t have any ideas. The leader, she actually listens to everyone, so she plays very well. If there is any competition, then she will be the one who will give out the prize. It seems that if you don’t receive the prize from her, it’s better not to win. She’s like that She grew up in school. When I went abroad, she was a little sick, so she didn't go to school anymore. Because the summer vacation was coming, the family moved to Beidaihe seaside. She was fourteen years old at the time, which was the year when the incident happened. , because I will go abroad in autumn, so I also go together. "Her illness will recover soon, so we had a good time as if we were just escaping the summer. She learned to swim very quickly, but the doctor didn't allow her to participate in the competition that year, saying it was too It's not suitable for her to be excited, I'm afraid it will leave a nervous foundation. I believe that if she participates, if she doesn't get first, she will definitely get second. Among the girls who were about the same age at that time, there was only one who was half a year older than her The English girls can swim as well as she does. They're really good friends. "The disease stopped developing all of a sudden, and her complexion became better day by day. In order to lay a good foundation for her health, we agree that she should take more care of her body. What the doctor said made sense after all. Her complexion gradually improved. But she has become more grown-up. Ever since she fell ill, her appearance has shown a kind of beauty that she didn't have before, her temperament has also added a thoughtful element, and she has a deep emotional element for people and things. She is so enthusiastic. It's like a small stove. I really think this temper is more injurious to health than any disease. "In any case, on the one hand, she is resting well, and on the other hand, she is not at the age of indulging in thoughts, so although she has this tendency, it is not deep. She is still lively, and her happiness is like a flower that blooms in the morning when the sun rises." When the female monk said this, the girl had already squatted down and went to peel the green beans and rice with the vegetable seller. The boy was also teased by a farmer with a small grass stick. For small animals, a farmer's child can whistle with a bean leaf in his mouth, but if he can't learn it, he just blows it hard.The mother looked at them and smiled, then used her eyes to invite the nun to continue speaking. "On the day of the swimming competition, we sat on a small wooden boat with a canopy to watch. Hundreds of small wooden boats gathered at the finish line to watch. Because it is a beach, the competition cannot be held in deep water a little far from the shore. The two black flat-bottomed boats anchored 50 meters apart is the starting point and the end point. The adult men's race is exciting, but it's not very interesting to watch that kind of fierce competition under the scorching sun in summer. We want to see Yanmei's good My friend Elizabeth won the bid. Yanmei can be regarded as her little protector, so we can berth close to the finish line and berth with Elizabeth’s family boat. "The longest competition in the girls' group is the 200-meter freestyle. In fact, there is no restriction on the posture. The British girls swim very well in this posture. Yanmei also learned this posture. They only learn this One, the body is both flat and straight, and it is faster and more beautiful. Elisha has participated in the 50-meter, 100-meter, and 200-meter races. "Their show has started, and people who watch it are refreshing. They have swimsuits of various colors and small hats. They also have the sound of shouting like a bird. The first event is the 50-meter freestyle, Elisha Bai briskly swam to the side of the boat at the finish line first, and after touching the side of the boat, she turned around and swam to the side of our boat when others had also swam there. Yanmei stretched out her hand to pull her up. Elizabeth's parents in their own boat are also smiling this way. Below is the fifty-meter breaststroke. First is a Japanese girl. She attracts the attention of both of them because they didn't see this powerful role beforehand. Every movement of her effectively stimulated the water to push her body forward. She was at least 5 meters ahead of the second one. We all believe that if she is in the first item, Elizabeth must have a hard time. We know that breaststroke is not suitable for short distances. This is probably the reason why she did not participate in the first 50-meter freestyle. Each person is only allowed to participate in three events. She must use breaststroke to win in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle. Then I really don’t know if Elizabeth can be faster than her. These girls are all very good. We have no preference at all. But Elizabeth is beautiful, and it is easier to win the audience’s preference. "When we talked about this, the Japanese girl jumped onto the big boat to be applauded by the audience. Elizabeth's father nodded to his daughter and pointed to the big boat with his finger. Elizabeth smiled very confidently, Yanmei hugged her tightly with one hand. "After a few items, it's the 100-meter freestyle. This 100-meter swim is from our side of the water to the opposite side of the boat and back. Yanmei took Elizabeth's shawl with trembling hands and looked at it. She stepped onto the ship and took her place. "At one command, Elisabeth jumped into the water with great grace. When she came up, she took the lead with her shoulder. But the Japanese girl swam curiously fast this time, and was level with her when she reached the boat over there. We saw that Elisabeth Sha Bai's 50-meter swim was not as fast as the last time, because her rhythm of slapping the water was not as strict as last time. When turning around, the Japanese child was also very agile, so when he turned around, he actually took the lead. "The people watching on the big boat and the small boat all focused their eyes on the two of them, and the people below the third came to the side of the boat at this moment. At this time, apart from the sound of the water, the only sound was the flag on the command platform being blown by the wind. , there was no one who didn't hold their breath and watched quietly. Yanmei clasped her chest tightly with both hands, and was so nervous that she was stupefied. I remembered what the doctor said. I was afraid that she would be too excited. I hugged her in my arms, and she just raised her face. Seeing me, I didn't smile as usual. Poor boy, this is just watching someone else's game. After turning around again, Elizabeth glanced at the Japanese girl in the water. Without looking at her, she straightened her body again and swam along the floating line with all her heart. After all, she was a confident child, and the sound of the well-proportioned splashing of the water was heard again, and it took effect immediately, like music, a march The tone pushed her forward. They tied at more than 80 meters, and fiercely competed to 90 meters to get halfway. The two of them were two adjacent waterlines, splashing waves, fighting On her body, the snow-white foam became even more brilliant in the sunlight. Amid applause from all around, Elizabeth in the crimson swimsuit touched the side of the boat first. "Elizabeth grabbed the side of the boat with one hand, squatted up first, and suddenly saw that she seemed to be injured by something, and her face twitched in pain. There was a lot of cheering and applause at that time, she must have called out, but no one I heard it. But when she raised her hand to answer the salute, she was facing us, we could see it. Her right arm was wet and red, and the water dripped down on her snow-white arm to form a branch Like a few red lines, the red water on them also rippled away. "'That's blood!' Yanmei shouted. She stood up and made the boat shake. She couldn't jump over the big boat. Many boats in the middle were floating. She was also wearing a bathing suit, but the surrounding She took off her skirt and jumped into the water, swimming to the big boat. None of us held her back. "She gently pressed the side of the big boat and went up. There were already many people surrounding Elizabeth. We knew that Yanmei was probably right, so we urged the boat to swing over with Elizabeth's parents. At this time, the swimming water The boats are packed. "We got on the big boat and saw Elizabeth lying in Yanmei's arms. Her eyes were closed tightly and her face was pale. The Japanese girl was holding her hand. A doctor tied her with a bandage to stop the bleeding. The blood was still gushing out. The seawater on the arm was wiped off now, but I still felt how much the salty seawater would hurt her. The wound was cut open, it looked deep, and it was four or five inches long! No one knew how to suffer for her This pain, I can only watch the doctor bandage her up and give her an injection to make her stable. As for her, she seems to be content with Yanmei holding her. Everything is over, and she is handed over to her parents, and we are also together. Back. That day the Japanese girl won the first place in the 200m. She won the championship with a total score of one more than Elizabeth. Later, she went to Elizabeth’s house to see her. Yanmei spent the whole day Watching her at Elizabeth's house. "The tragedy happened because the wooden boat was old for a long time. I didn't look at it carefully before the race, and I didn't expect that it would be under the water skin. A spike was exposed. When Elizabeth stretched her hand up, her body was already covered by the race. The speed at that time pushed it close to the hull of the ship. As soon as he stretched his hand upwards, he wiped the spikes and went up. Fortunately, the blood on the elbow was not rubbed. If so, I dare not think about it. up. "Her wound has not healed after a week, but festered. Her father was a professor at Tsinghua University. At that time, he had to go back to take the freshman exam. Yanmei and her, the two children, came up with an idea. I want to keep her here. Our two families got to know each other well because of the children. Fortunately, there was no space, so we agreed. After Elizabeth’s mother gave her a few words, she brought the two younger daughters. , went back to Peiping with her father. "From now on, our patient has become a nurse, busy all day. We saw her happily doing those nursing tasks, and we knew that it was no harm to her own recovery. Since she couldn't stop her, we had to smile and let her go. She was going in the morning. Picking wild flowers for Elizabeth on the mountain, and going out to the fruit market to choose fresh fruits for Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s doctor came, and she was a nurse of course. She learned fast dressing and changing dressings, and we are sure that she Elizabeth's work did not make Elizabeth feel the slightest pain. She nursed the sick like a hobby, and her care was a kind of comfort. "Suppression is a temporary thing. Elizabeth gradually recovered. She sat in front of the snow-white bed and opened the window. The two of them watched the window screen fluttering in the wind and chatted with the green wild mountains and pine trees outside the window. "Because she is my sister's only daughter, even though she is not yet fifteen years old, we already think she is a half-adult. Seeing her gentle appearance, sometimes we think about her future, and we think: 'The future is really wonderful. I know what her love story is like. She probably doesn't realize it now. Since God has always blessed her, may he still treat her well in the future." When the nun said this, her tone was like a prayer. The lady also nodded in agreement with her.Thinking of the female monk's own life experience, she couldn't help asking questions. "Then the child was even better," said the nun. "They were missing from the house one morning, and came back a little later, and there were three of them. The other peasant daughter, who was very playful, was tanned. face, round eyes, blue and coarse clothes, bare feet, and a pair of black shoes. The three of them all hugged some flowers, radishes, vegetables, and tomatoes. Maybe it was because of Yanmei together, she especially Unflinching, surprisingly generous. Elizabeth's Chinese language is not very fluent. Yanmei can really find things for herself, and she has to be an interpreter when playing together. It's really hard for her. We let them have breakfast together and listen to them. "It turns out that this little girl was recognized by Yanmei when she went to the mountains to pick flowers every morning. Yanmei picks flowers, and others pick up fungi. It has only been ripe for two days, and it will be very good. But Yanmei can't play with her more every day. I miss Elizabeth at home. She also needs to pick up the fungus back home earlier so that they can be sold in the market. A few times, the two of them couldn’t be separated, and it was already late, so the fungus was brought home by Yanmei , it was sold to us. Strangely, we have been eating mushrooms at the dinner table these days. "When Yanmei comes back, she often talks to Elizabeth about her new friends and how they play on the mountain. Elizabeth looks at the green hills outside the window and wants to go. Today Elizabeth herself has been allowed by the doctor to go out and play. , you are not allowed to move your legs and run and go into the water. It just so happened that a cow in the girl’s village gave birth to a small yellow calf. The two of them went to the mountain to help pick up enough fungus in the morning, and rushed to the village to play together. The family saw the big basket of fresh mushrooms and was embarrassed to accept it, so they gave them these vegetables. The two of them gave flowers to them, and they asked their daughter to help them get them back. "During breakfast, the three of them kept talking about the newborn calf. While talking, Yanmei mustered up the courage to discuss with me: 'Auntie, can we buy that calf?' said the country girl. "It's very expensive." Yanmei had a little money herself, so she pulled Elisabeth's clothes and said, "Eliza, let's get together." Then asked: "How expensive? I really want to buy it!" I knew she liked the calf, and I knew she really wanted to buy it. She was a little careless. I stopped her and said, "If you buy a newborn calf, who will give it milk? ' She was about to speak after hearing this, but she retracted again.I said, 'Would you like to buy the cows too? ’ She also smiled and said: ‘Then buy it after weaning, Auntie! ’ I said, “It’s time to go back to Peiping by then. Besides, there are so many weaned calves in the village, I’m afraid you might not just want to buy one. Look at you, a foolish kid!” Yan After hearing this, Mei stuck out her little tongue and went to eat her porridge again.Elizabeth also followed Yanmei to call Auntie. She said, "Auntie, can we go up the mountain to pick up mushrooms every day and then go to the village to play with her until we come back for breakfast?" She looked at her sister and brother-in-law. The brother-in-law smiled and patted them and agreed. The maid cleared the table and said, "Miss, plus you two with sharp eyes, I'm afraid you will clean up all the fungus on the mountain!" "What happened later was a bit miserable. The three of them played for a long time, talking about everything, and gradually learned about the girl's life experience: she was only thirteen years old, and her name was Yinfeng. Because Yanmei and the others recognized her. Gan sister, we also call her Yin sister, her family is very poor, no livestock, no land. There is an older brother, who drives donkeys for others, and is in the business of guiding tourists. There is not much income from growing some vegetables. My mother is a poor laundryman. Sister Yin has already promised someone to be a child bride. It's not as good as one year, the family is reluctant to send it over, but eats their own food to grow up. Now that sister Yin has grown up and can do things, people are urging to take it over again. "Yinfeng hates that guy so much. She often cries when she thinks about it. There are so many pitiful stories about her, and I can't go into details at the moment. Now these two god-sisters have to make up their minds again, and they must find a way to avoid it." She went, this is really a difficult thing, when I took money from others, it was really like selling it. "It's a different thing than buying that calf. They can't do anything about it. "At that time, I thought for Yanmei. When she grows up, she really doesn't know how to endure this world! How many things in this world are really happy? Just like that calf, how many things there are in the village, how many things do she have? Can you buy them all? But her nature is so intolerant of a hair that can't be combed, and can't bear to see a little misfortune. I dare to believe that if she herself does something wrong that cannot be repented, she will She would rather die! This time, because of other people's affairs, even a little bit of injustice made her seriously ill. "They don't have the money to redeem the deed for Yinmei. Even if there is, the matter can't be finished. Even if it's done this time, what about Yinmei's life? Many girls go out like this, and it won't be so bad in the future. They lived the same way for the rest of their lives, but they were redeemed, and after a year or two, life forced them to sell them again. "Their affairs are not confidential, and everyone knows about them. Yinmei's family knows it's useless, but it's not very good. The other family has evil intentions, saying that Yanmei and the others interfere in other people's housework, and that my brother-in-law and other other things have plans. "At that time, there was a lot of tension. They planned to rip off. Yanmei and the others were not afraid, and went to get a few words behind our backs, but they came back crying. From then on, I thought about it all the time, and I didn't eat well. I took a bite. "So Yinmei was beaten one day by that guy. He kicked her and hurt her, and she was lying on the bed and couldn't move. Yanmei and the others knew about it. We were afraid of accidents, so we didn't dare Let them go. The family was also afraid of things, so they never dared to let them know, for fear that they would come. But Beidaihe is a small place. After they heard about it and found out, they finally went secretly. "They went secretly one night. When they got there, the three of them cried very sadly. On the way back, they frowned and thought about it in their hearts. It's really a narrow road. On a mountain path, the man on the opposite side was drunk. Jiu, walked towards them and saw them all at once. The two of them had nowhere to hide, and were so frightened to death. The drunk man cursed them indistinctly and was about to reach out to grab Yanmei. Yanmei was so frightened. Backed away, stumbled on the dirt ridge, couldn't stand up, fell down, and fell into the wild jujube bushes by the side of the road, scratched all over his head and face. Elizabeth was more courageous, she yelled out, and beat the drunk The man punched him. How could the drunk man care, he was making a fuss. "We found out not long after they left, so we quickly sent people to look for them. We arrived at this time, and when we heard Elizabeth shouting, we hurried over with yelling. The drunk man saw that someone was coming, so he let go and ran away. “燕梅又是气又是惊，夜里在外边受了凉，回来当晚发高热，说胡话，病了。那汉子后来知道酒后惹了祸，也不再想敲竹杠了。我们一面又告诉燕梅没有好办法以前别再出事，免得那女孩子受苦。燕梅病了好几天，伊利沙白倒好了。她母亲来接了她去。那时七七事变已起，我也赶到了上海准备到法国去了。走时燕梅还在病床上，好一阵，坏一阵的。还是一心想她银妹妹！” “你离开她时，她十五六岁？”白太太一气听完，长吁一声，问。 “是那么大。”修女说。“这会儿都已经进联大了。真不知道性情变了没有！” “这会儿多么娇养的小姐也逃过一次难了。”白太太说。 “性情呢，还是不变才好。干吗要变呢？多点历炼就好得多了。” “我知道性情想变也变不了。”修女说：“可是不变呢。又看她不免一生受不完的苦。” “叫人怪惦记着的就是了。”白太太说：“可是活又说回来了，谁能一辈子全不受苦？比方说从前多少饭来张口，衣来伸手的小姐们，几年不见，现在到了后方碰见了。有的结了婚作了人家。一家大小挤在一间房子里，洗衣，做饭，抱孩子外，还仗着上过学，也出去做事呢！” “可是那个到底不同。”修女说。 “不过历炼多了，哪方面也都是好的。自然啦。”白太太伸伸腰说：“你惦记你外甥女儿自然也难怪。我都怪想见她一见的。我认识不少联大的人，我打听打听看，也许认识她，我自己一年之中也是难得上昆明两次，联大地方又宽。现在又正放假。” “我也是因为她们放假，不好找，东一处，西一处的，校舍分散得很。” “姓蔺？”白太太是真惦记着：“是不是？真是个好心眼儿，大家子出身的。这会是个大姑娘了！” “姓蔺，蔺相如的蔺。”修女说：“学校里打听她倒容易。她出名得很，人人知道。不过说是参加服务去了。我到了西车站她们服务的地方，又说她刚走。” “我就知道么！”白太太紧接上说：“这么一个女孩子长大了自不会寻常的，她在学校里，人缘儿不知多好呢！” “我倒说是她人品不知要出脱的多漂亮好看呢！”修女笑着说。她自己看去才真美丽呢！ 话听到这里，白太太心中又提起了一件事，她爱这女修道士俊美，聪明和她的谈吐，人物，她早纳闷她的身世。现在听了这一大段话，又多知道了她从前大概的情形。心上更想用话试着问问。不过这话到底难于起头儿。她倒一下子愣住没有了话。 这时窗口的风忽地凉了。车里的人转向窗外一看，知道昆明夏季的阵雨要来。修女正被白太太看得不好意思，就说： “让我帮你关关窗子，雨要来了。”她们便一齐站起来，弄了半天，那不灵活的大木板窗子才关上。一车中各个窗子都是叮叮当当地敲着关。雨说着话已经下起来了，挺大的点子，敲在窗板上响，车中马上觉的太凉了。 她们回过头来坐下时，眼前一亮似的，有四个整齐好看的女孩子从后面一节车里走进来，全是学生打扮。像是找个没有雨的座位似的，不过这里也没有座位，她们就站在那里。只听见一个走在最前边身材小一点的说：“站一会儿算了，只要没有雨就结了。反正也快到了。”说的是悦耳的北平话。 修女呆呆地看了这四个女孩子，白太太用肘轻轻碰了碰她说：“看去都是联大的学生，我来问问看！” “你倒比我还急呢！”修女笑了说。 这时又听见她们四个谈起话来，她们便先静听着，一方面才从新打量，仔细看这四个倒底谁顶美。这种看法几乎是任何人看见了几个女孩子在一起时都不免的。 最前面先说话的这个，看起来最聪明，最能说，爱笑。就是嘴唇显得薄些，似乎是个厉害的角色，年纪也最轻。后面那两个身材很好，穿着一式的衣裳，像是一对双生姊妹，打扮得一样齐整，又都俏丽动人。赤脚，穿了露空的皮鞋。引人注目的两双线条匀称的腿。可是最惹人喜欢的要算当中的那个了，她身材不高不矮，眼睛特别好看，皮肤特别玉样的有光泽又细腻，打扮得却偏学个顽皮孩子，不肯那么多修饰，她有些孩气，却不似头一个那样爱闹，可是那鼓着的小嘴也够像个难缠的样子了。她手中弄着一个考究精致的旅行小提包，这提包尊贵的色泽同型式正配着她的气质。她似乎有点心事，虽然也随着说笑。 她是这四个的中心，她们说话多半是对她说，那对姐妹中看去大一点的一个，用一只手挽了她，她也就势倚在人肩上。 她发育也很好，举止动作大方之中还带着音乐似的节律，说话的声音像是撞在人心坎儿上，令人不得不感到愉快的小音符。 “我想，”白太太又轻轻地对女修士说．“你们外甥女恐怕未必能比那个更好看。我还觉得她那性情会叫她不及这四个健康。不会有这么好血色。” “这话倒是有道理。”修女说。“咱们问问看。我想她们如果真是联大的，一定会认得她。” 白太太的女儿也正看人家，她并且伸出手去触人家的提包，想和人家说话。白太太就笑了起来，说：“倩倩！看你这个莽撞劲儿的。也不会喊一声儿：'姐姐'，就要跟人说话！”说着又对那位小姐满面春风地讲：“这个提包真是怪好的。不是昆明本地买的罢？” 那时那位小姐弯下身去已经接了倩倩的小手，刚要问话，听见了白太太说，就挺规矩忙抬起头来打招呼，那三个也都停止了说话。 “倩倩是你的名字吗？”她笑着偏了头看着小女孩：“多美的名字！跟你一样美！倩倩！” “人家问你的皮包呢！”那个比较小的看了白太太同修女说。她手中大包小包不知多少。 于是这个就看了看手中的提包，娇娇地说．“这个吗？是我爸爸给的，他从外国买的。”她觉得不好意思，正因为它似乎在这车上显得太引人注意了。 “别那么提着了，怪累的。”白太太说：“来，你们两个小孩让开地方给姐姐们坐下。你们来坐着说话罢。” 小孩子忙着让开，她们彼此看了一下，却不来坐，只都忙着客气。这个把倩倩抱回凳子上，说：“乖，你坐着，我们就要到了。 她又弯下腰去，把提包放在地上，和小男孩说话，她蹲下去看他用青豆米做的小东西。“这些小宝贝是什么？小猫？小狗？” 那些小东西其实都一样，一粒豆子插四根草棍算是腿，不一同的是有的有尾巴，有的没有。 “这个是小猪猪！”男孩子自己把嘴拱起来说：“这个是小兔兔！”他又把两手竖在自己耳朵上。这个听他说话的大姐姐也不觉学了他的样儿：“哦，猪猪！哦，兔兔！”一车人都听笑了。 白太太看着这样的女儿心里爱，她把人家拖过来问：“你们下乡来玩？到哪个乡下？你们是联大学生？”说着又让坐。 “我们都是联大的。”那个大一点的说：“我们在呈贡招呼难民。” 那修女再忍不住了，她问：“你们贵姓呀？我这回是上城来特为看你们一个同学的，也说她服务去了。” “说不定我们认识。”被白太太拉住了的这个说：“她两个是姊妹，姓梁，梁崇榕，梁崇槐，她叫范宽怡，我们喊她小范，认识人顶多。我是蔺燕梅。……” 蔺燕梅！is her?is her!How could it be her?怎么就是她！ 蔺燕梅！细看看可不就是她！女孩子这几岁中正是变得快的时候，那些小孩时的样子仔细一看就都分别出来了。可不清清楚楚地就是她！长得这么高了！长得这么好了！那甜蜜的样子，柔和的神气，竟完全都在，竟变得更深醇，更浓厚！这是上帝多么大的恩惠！在我们没有劳神，没有用心力的当儿，稳稳妥妥地，仔仔细细地把她调理出这样一份儿人品，又送回到眼前来！人在这时候怎么会不对上帝景仰同感恩！正如漫漫冬夜之后，睁开眼看，花儿含苞了！草也翠绿了，没有忽略一点儿风的温度，或是一个小虫儿应有的颜色！我们感到这恩典岂不是应该的，但是多少人不以为殊，甚至身受的人都常常觉得是应该的，仿佛上帝欠他的似的！ 听听她的口气！她“叫”范宽怡，我“是”蔺燕梅！这个“是”字！“蔺燕梅”三个字似乎不应该有人不知道呀！听听这个口气，她竟是这些年来一直为所有的人所眷爱！ “我怎么会认不出她来？我怎么会觉得这样的一个人品，站在跟前的，会是别人？她怎么也竟认不出我来？她的阿姨？她的亲爱的，宝贝的阿姨？”修女一直怔住了：“可是我的变化又岂是少！看看这黑色的丝道袍，这裹了我全身的！这木制的数珠，这金质的苦像，这白色的胸饰同帽子！” 白太太也不知道喜欢得说什么才好了，她是这么一个好心肠的母亲，她因此呼吸都几乎兴奋得停止了。 “呵！阿姨！阿姨！阿姨！哎哟！我的阿姨！”蔺燕梅认出来了！这是她的阿姨！是她从小心爱的，美丽的，娟秀的阿姨！自小伴了她，做她的姐姐，做她的教师，游伴，保姆，母亲，及她一切心事的倾听人的阿姨！现在五年不见，又回来了！她的双眸，藉了自幼时深蕴的感情所领导，及她阿姨神态之诱致，看透了这道袍，这服饰，数珠及苦像十字架的障碍，认出这是她的阿姨；这是她有悲有喜，有血有肉，有玲珑的心窍，懂得她，也爱她的阿姨。 她扑过去，跪下去，几乎可以说是倒了下去。这简直是最精美的手工所制不出的紧贴，最细腻的雕刻所摹仿不来的神情，她全身，她恨不得全身都踡伏在她阿姨的怀里，贴在她阿姨的身上。无论她是得意或失意，她既是单身在外，她要把身体和灵魂交给她阿姨，由阿姨带走，带回去，回到从前无知的日子去！可怜这么为上帝所厚视的女儿，都会有这种令人无可奈何的渴求呵！Life!Life!怎么才能令我们硬得起心肠过下去呵！我们无知而有知，无欲而有欲；要胜，更要强，我们得意，还凄凉，我们终于由少而长，由长而老，终于死去而与草木同朽呵！ 蔺燕梅有许多话要说，修女有许多话要说，白太太更是有多少话告诉她俩，小男孩，倩倩，以及梁家姐妹，小范，谁不是为快乐和兴奋所紧紧抓住了喉咙有多少话倾吐不出来？ 蔺燕梅用手摸索着这黑色有光泽的道袍，用脸偎在它上面。她有点畏惧，又一心喜爱；她既怕这袍子会变成一堵墙把她阿姨同她分开，她又爱这长袍，因为无论如何它是在阿姨身上。也许阿姨会被道袍分开，那么？那么她也把身体钻进道袍去！ 车里面的人静了下来，车外的声音便又重新被听见。雨势是小了下去，只剩得一滴半点，天色已经晴了，过滤了的空气中传来的车轮声特别清晰同快乐，刚才过了西庄，此刻过了獭迷珠，现在快到桃源了。白太太不得不要下车，一面提起随身带的东西，一面仍眷眷不舍，到了桃源，她们帮她招呼了小孩下车，看看车子又把她们留在后边了。 谁也有这种经验，在不经意时会遇到了一生难忘的人和事，如白太太今天这样！她不知道哪天能再见到她们，也不知道如何会再见她们，也许永远不会再见到她们，可是她今后的日子里再也不会没有她们的影子与今日的情况。此刻在暮色中领了两个小孩回家的路上，她一心只想着这可爱的修女和她眷念的甥女。“今天是真巧，正说着不巧呢，可巧就遇上了！那个孩子真好，那四个都好！这个修女更叫人喜欢！”她想。可是她恐怕永远也不会再有机会问出这个修女的故事了。 在车上，小范真伯蔺燕梅跟了她阿姨到宜良去。还好，她阿姨把她还了她们，留下地址，又告诉她们，在离联大不算远，也在北城的平政街上有一个天主堂，便是她在昆明的通讯处，她上昆明来就住那边，又告诉她，一位老法国神甫叫做危赫澜的便主持那教堂。她们在呈贡下了车看车开了，才走出站。 呈贡县城离车站有十里，范宽湖他们的收容所在江尾村，离县城又要向前再走三四里，那里便已到了昆明湖东岸。隔湖与碧鸡山红色削壁遥遥相对的是贡坝子的平壤与水畔的湖田。在这季节正是青翠好看。她们从车站下来，到坝子里要先经过一些曲折的山路，好在车站上经常有等着客人的马匹，十几里路在客人正是个好骑程，对于接晚车的马夫说又是一日工作之后回家顺路的生意，这两个原因常造成一伙快乐的行旅。 四个女孩子都上了马。小范因为独自来往的次数多，已有了熟马夫，梁家姊妹虽然也常上城，但总是姊妹一齐走，不常和赶脚的谈话，故此，人家认得她们，她们认不得人家。 她们骑着马转过村角，踏过石桥，渐渐走上山路，四个人都因为蔺燕梅巧遇她姨母十分高兴，说笑不了。小范一马当先，手中还提了一包比较重要的药材不肯交给马夫，又要回过头来抢着说话，不料马一上坡，背一拱，险些滑下，忙伏在鞍上喘气。后面梁崇槐就笑着说：“告诉你把东西交给马夫，不肯听，骑术不精，何苦逞能呢？” 小范恨得咬牙，无奈马正向山上走得不稳，又不敢回头，只能说：“既然你骑得好，何不替我拿一下呢！” “我也没吹骑得好，这么简单的逻辑也不清楚。”梁崇槐仍是笑：“我两双手就没敢离开鞍子。” 后面梁崇榕和蔺燕梅正并辔徐行，听见小范斗口吃亏，便彼此挤眼。 “你这个人就是说话变得快。”小范说；“早上还说不进城，怎么随后就又来了？是不是怕我拖你帮忙办事？要是进城有事，怎下午又回来了，是不是一天不见我哥哥都不行？” 蔺燕梅心事里本来也有这一桩的，听了这话心中一蹙。梁崇榕也是早上进城下午回来的听见这话也带上了她，正想把话岔开，只听见梁崇槐又乘虚攻入：“越说越下作了。真是这么个明白人怎么说话净露空子？有事进城就不许早上去下午来？你自己是不是也一样呢？” 说着三个人一齐笑起来了，崇槐回头看了看说：“我们是专程来接燕梅的，这也不明白！” 小范说：“知道我是糊涂人就好了，也别跟我费口舌了。我把燕梅请了来，人情叫你顺手接过去。专程来接的，会在另一节车碰上！那么燕梅还是专程送她阿姨的呢！罢罢，就算她是你接来的。反正人在这儿了，我正好让步，真正功成身退，大将风度！”说着自己也笑了，便加鞭前去。 她的马夫一边招呼着马，又挥手令后边的马赶上，说：“天色不早了。一路还远，大家紧着点走罢！” 可不是天色已经晚了！西山上的落日，已快挨到山岭，四野景象都黯下来，这一带山上都是野松，此刻都是黑色的了，山径为了土色是深赭的看去使如古老红木家具的颜色。野草里的虫鸣，灌田的山水淙淙声陡然清晰起来，寒风也觉得了，特别方才下过一阵雨，故分外觉得清凉。她们的马赶到一起，结队走，话也说得少了。这样安静了一刻，腹中不觉饿了，人便特别困乏想快点走到。过了两座小土山，再盘着一个比较高的，转过去，就上了第三个坡，那里大路边站着一株枝条委地，累累结了梨子的老梨树。小范便指着对蔺燕梅说：“过了这树，再下坡时就可以望见呈贡城同湖了。”大家才又慢慢地缓下马来谈话。 “这不是等于路边的里石吗？”蔺燕梅说；“这样的里石有多么可爱！” “开口就是'爱'，这倒是你说话的本色，”梁崇槐说：“五里一颗花红，十里一颗苹果！多好！可是我问你，大余听见这种说法，是不是又要来篇议论给你更正？真可怜，我常想，一个蔺燕梅叫大余调理得快成个没有生气的，美丽的木乃伊了。” “今天你好像是专门拌嘴似的。”小范说；“字眼儿倒是满漂亮的！木乃伊算了还加上什么美丽的！来燕梅，她欺负你，别理她！” 梁崇榕就笑着和她妹妹说：“这两个凑合到一处去，还是别惹她们了。这两张嘴，一个做好，一个做坏的，哪还当得了？” 梁崇槐偏不肯停，她说：“难怪小范巴巴地把人家找了来！不过，你这话说得好，若有作坏的一个，谁也不会想到是燕梅！” “这会儿再讨好就嫌太晚一点儿了！”小范到底又占了上风：“不巧你又不打自招，原来还是我去把人家找了来的！哦！”连马夫们都听笑了。 “你就是一心里专门记这些小意气。”蔺燕梅用鞭梢试着打她说：“这么半天还没有忘记！也真亏你！”